In the final seconds of the men’s basketball game last Saturday night, the iconic Howling Cow ice cream truck pulled up to the NC State Bell Tower. Carl Hollifield, director of NC State’s Dairy Enterprise System, parked and watched the seconds tick down to an NC State victory over Oakland that advanced them to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. What happened next was a sweet surprise to the thousands of students, families and fans who rushed to Memorial Belltower to celebrate that night.

With a key assist from Dean Garey Fox, his family, and a few excited CALS staffers, Hollifield rolled a giant freezer filled with Howling Cow to the base of the bell tower and generously handed out 1,000 cups of ice cream to the excited crowd.

Early Monday evening, Hollifield pulled off a magical surprise again in front of Reynolds Coliseum. Inside the historic arena, the women’s basketball team sealed their trip to the Sweet 16 with a win over Tennessee. When fans poured out following the game, Hollifield and his ice cream friends handed out another 1,000 cups  

“Howling Cow ice cream is such an integral part of the NC State experience, we wanted to give back to our basketball fan family and celebrate the men’s and women’s teams making it to the Sweet 16,” says Holifield.

Both teams played in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on Friday — a feat that hasn’t happened at NC State since 1989. The men’s and women’s teams both won their respective games in the Elite 8 and now advance to the Final Four. The CALS family will be rooting for our student athletes, with a big thanks to Hollifield and Howling Cow for making these wins even sweeter.